Chef Denise’s Blood Orange and Fennel Salad

Anna Savino | Italianna Food & Wine Tours

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to meet with Chef Denise Pardini for a trip to the local farmers market. Chef Denise owns and manages the luxury country hotel Castello di Sinio in the hilly Langhe area of the Cuneo province in Piemonte, Italy. In addition to having restored the 12th-century castle and converting it into an award-winning traveler’s paradise, this Italian American, trained chef from the San Francisco Bay Area leads her all-Italian in the kitchen to create remarkable dishes that are a blend of tradition and inspiration, using fresh ingredients from her own garden and local products.

In Dogliani, Piemonte we explored some of those local products . After finding our unusual vegetable puntarella, which you can learn about in my previous GCTV post, we moved over to the Sicilian blood oranges and an array of radicchio. In this video, Chef Denise talks about their flavor profiles and how best to combine them.

Learning about Blood Oranges, Radicchio, and Chicory from Chef Denise at the Dogani Farmers Market

Of course, a beautiful salad recipe came to Chef Denise's mind, and she is so generous to share it here with us!

Sicilian Blood Orange, Shaved Fennel & Black Olive Salad – Elaborated
by Chef Denise Pardini

This is a classic Sicilian salad served widely throughout the region, especially in Catania.   I’ve enjoyed elaborated versions of it in many other provinces in Sicily and this version is one I make and especially like.  You can add shrimp or prawns with a particularly delicious effect, or you can serve this as a side dish to broiled or barbecued fish. If blood oranges are not available, regular oranges such as navel can work.

Salad Ingredients

1 medium sweet fennel bulb, shaved fine on a mandolin
2 blood oranges, cut into segments
½ cup black Sicilian or Kalamata olives, pitted 
½ small red onion, sliced very thin 
½ headTardivo radicchio, cut on the diagonal into 2-inch lengths
1 handful lamb’s lettuce
1 generous tbsp capers
1 scant tsp red pepper flakes
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
¼ cup pecorino shards
shrimp or prawns – optional but highly recommended

Chef Denise’s Colorful Creation
Image | Denise Pardini

Instructions

1.  Finely shave the fennel bulb on a mandolin. Put in a container with ice cold water and set aside. Cutting it with a knife doesn’t get the fennel slice fine enough to create the correct consistency, and one of the inexpensive plastic mandolins works fine, so go ahead, invest 8 bucks in one.  They are a great addition to your kitchen equipment.

2. Cut the oranges into segments reserving the juice. Set aside.

3. Pit the Kalamata olives if necessary.

4. Finely slice the red onions.  Put in ice water, separate into julienne. Set aside.

5. Wash and dry the lamb’s lettuce and Tardivo radicchio.  Cut the radicchio into 2-inch lengths, cutting on the diagonal.

6. Put all the prepared ingredients, except the orange segments, in a large salad bowl.  Sprinkle on the capers, red pepper flakes, toasted pine nuts and pecorino shards.  Add the shrimp or prawns if using. Add about a half a cup of vinaigrette (see below) and toss gently but thoroughly.  Add the orange segments and a bit more vinaigrette if needed and toss again, gently, so you don’t break up the oranges. 

7. Serve and enjoy!

Raspberry Vinegar Dressing 
by Chef Denise Pardini

Ingredients

½ cup raspberry vinegar (champagne or apple cider vinegar can be substituted)
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
1 heaping tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
a few fresh grinds black pepper
1 ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender canister and put on the lid but remove the cover to the hole in the middle of the lid.  

2. Turn on the blender to low and begin to slowly drizzle in the olive oil.  When about half of the oil is added and the vinaigrette has emulsified, turn the blender to med high and continue to drizzle in the rest of the oil.

3. Put the vinaigrette in container with a good fitting lid.